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Welcome to the Mac Java community
This community is for all things Macintosh and Java related. That may mean developing Java code on the Mac, with the various tools available to Mac developers... or it may mean running your Java code on the Mac, using available technologies to deliver a great experience to your Mac-based users... or even tying into technologies like Cocoa. If you have Mac-specific projects, weblogs, questions, or advice, this is the place to be.
This page is not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Computer, Inc.
Java on OS X, it's not dead...
In the I'm not dead yet category we have Java on Mac OS X Leopard to be 64-bit, resolution independent talking about Java sessions at WWDC. He says the WWDC program guide has statements about the Java that's to be included in Leopard (10.5) will be 64 bit and include support for various core OS X technologies such as resolution independence. —
David Herron
(Jun 13, 2007)
Java 6, Mac OS and Substance
The topic of Apple being late to release the final JDK 6.0 for Mac is being discussed on the web in the past few months (see here, here,
here,
here and
here for a small sample). One question that is always asked in return is what exactly is missing in the latest dev build (b88) that Apple has provided? —
Kirill Grouchnikov
(Jun 08, 2007)
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Is the Mac really a good dev platform?
Frustrated by the long wait for a final JDK 6 on the Mac, JavaLobby's Matthew Schmidt asks Is the Mac really a good dev platform? He's kicked off a lengthy discussion by asking "besides having a slick command line and nice interface, is the Mac really worth it for Java development? Your JVM version will always be behind, you're paying a premium for the Mac hardware and Apple has always treated Java like a bit of a second class citizen. So, why do you keep sticking with your Mac?"
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Java Implicated in Safari-based Security Exploit
Dino Dai Zovi and Shane Macaulay have won a CanSecWest conference's security challenge by gaining shell-level access to an up-to-date MacBook through use of a malicious web page. According to the Matasano Chargen blog page tracking the story, the current work-around to the security hole is to turn off Java in the browser, implying that the exploit uses Java in some way. While the original attack worked through Safari, Matasano reports the attack affects Firefox as well. Details about the specifics of the vulnerability to follow at a later date.
(Apr 23, 2007)
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Mac OS X 10.5 delayed to October: what about Java 6?
Apple has just posted bad news: the release of Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) has been delayed to October. With the usual arrogance, Apple has never disclosed to Java developers its official plans about Java 6, but since the latest pre-release dates several months back we have understood that the final release is bound to Leopard. —
Fabrizio Giudici
(Apr 12, 2007)
 MochaCode: Mac-exclusive Java IDE
Yori Mihalakopoulos has posted a first preview release (.dmg, 8.5 MB) of MochaCode, "a new Java IDE designed specifically for developers who like to get their work done on a Mac." Aside from the typically-attractive Cocoa appearance, MochaCode offers context-sensitive code completion, background project building, quick access to project files, editor window/pane flexibility, and more. Yori has also kicked off a MochaCode blog.
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JMacAddressBook project
Providing another Java wrapper to OS X-specific functionality, JMacAddressBook project " aims to deliver Java APIs that can pass communication to Apple's C-based address book APIs. This would enable developers to have a Java API similar to apple's C ones, in order to access, control and modify the address book." While the initial code relies on OS X's Java-AppleScript bridge, future versions will use JNI
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Looking Glass on Mac OS X
A forum thread offers a place for interested participants to put their heads together on getting Project Looking Glass running on Mac OS X, or its underlying Darwin layer. "There's a couple people here working on it. it's not easy but doable. Once when we are able to compile a livecd for testing we'll let people know either in this thread or in the lg3d main news. Anyone participating would make a huge support in the project. It's a small market and small interest for mac users but there's still lots of love for new and different things"
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Java Updates for Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4
A pair of updates have just been released for Java on Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.3 (Panther). The Java for Mac OS X 10.4 Release 5 "adds support for the latest Daylight Saving Time (DST) and time zone information as of January 8, 2007, and delivers improved reliability and compatibility for Java 2 Platform Standard Edition 5.0 and Java 1.4 on Mac OS X 10.4.8 and later. This release updates J2SE 5.0 to version 1.5.0_07, Java 1.4 to version 1.4.2_12 and improves SWT compatibility for J2SE 5.0." The Java for Mac OS X 10.3 Update 5 updated Java 1.4 to 1.4.2_12 and "addresses a problem where some Java applications fail to launch."
(Feb 19, 2007)
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Java-AppleScript Connector
Want to tell application "Finder" to open the trash in a Java app? The Java-AppleScript Connector (jasconn) project is a JSR-223-compliant mechanism for using AppleScript code within Java. jasconn is not an implementation of AppleScript; it is a bridge between Java and the native Mac OS X AppleScript libraries. To use it, you need to be running the developer preview of Java SE 6 for Mac OS X, available from the Apple Developer Connection.
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IntelliWO
The new IntelliWO project "makes WebObjects development nicer on IntelliJ." Specifically, it enables WebObjects-specific files or bundles (such as .wo and .eomodeld files) to be opened from within IntelliJ, adds an action button to open the corresponding .wo component file when its .java class is open in the editor, and Listens for network requests on port 4050 and displays a java file or WO component when certain HTTP requests are received on that port.
Woof project
Woof! The Mac Java Community's new Woof project improves life for developers using Apple technologies by allowing you to use FileMaker as a data-store for WebObjects. Along with a JDBCPlugIn for WebObjects, it provides a FileMaker JDBC driver "which is faster, less buggy, and more standards-compliant than the previous JDBC driver from FileMaker."
Quaqua Look and Feel
A recent addition to the Mac Java Community, the Quaqua Look and Feel is "a user interface library for Java applications which wish to closely adhere to the Apple Human Interface Guidelines for Mac OS X." It offers a nearly native user experience, adjusting its look to suit the version of Mac OS X (Tiger, Panther, or Jaguar) being run. Quaqua also provides Swing implementations of the Cocoa NSBrowser and NSSheet (as JBrowser and JSheet).
QuickTime Amateur
Want QuickTime Pro Player without the Pro fee? Amateur describes itself as "a free clone of Apple's QuickTime Player implemented in Swing using QuickTime for Java. However it is uncrippled and does not require registration or a serial number to provide full functionality." Project founder Elliotte Rusty Harold describes the project, its motivation, and its goals in his announcement to the quicktime-java list.
 Don't Forget About Projects!
A note from your community leaders: while we enjoy bringing you news and features about Java and the Mac, don't forget that java.net is also a great place to host your open source project. Hosting on java.net lets your project have forums, mailing lists, a wiki, cvs, and more... for free! We hope that those of you working on projects of interest to the Mac Java community will consider hosting them here. To get started, just click that Request a project link from the usual java.net sidebar.
(Feb 08, 2005)
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Open QTJ
The OpenQTJ project has graduated from the incubator and joined the Mac Java Community. This project is a collection of resources related to QuickTime for Java, including updated demos, tutorials, workarounds for problematic API's, etc.
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MRJ Adapter
MRJ Adapter provides a consistent means of addressing Mac-specific behavior, like tying into standard Mac "about" and "preferences" dialogs or opening the application associated with a document. This shields the developer from the ever-changing Apple Java API's, and handles things that aren't provided by Apple, like maintaining the monolithic menu bar when no (J)Frame is visible.
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Java Programming on the Mac Column at MacDevCenter.com
Whether you're a hobbyist or a commercial developer, there's a compelling Java story on Mac OS X. In this column our very own java.net Editor, Daniel Steinberg, presents examples for developers looking for cross-platform solutions as well as those who want to write Mac OS X-specific applications in Java.
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Chris Adamson
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Joshua Marinacci
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Daniel Steinberg
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Apple Says Leopard Delayed Until October
Apple released a statment on Thursday saying that Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard, will
be delayed until October 2007. The company cited resources that had been diverted away from Mac OS X to complete iPhone as the cause of the delay.
[The Mac Observer]
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News: Analysts not concerned by Leopard delay
While Mac users have expressed disappointment and frustration that Leopard's ship date has slipped to October, analysts say it's the right move for Apple if it allows the company to ship the high-profile iPhone on time.
[MacCentral]
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